Johann David Wyss

“ Presently I heard a joyful shout, and saw Ernest running at full speed toward me, followed by his brothers. In his hand he held a plant, and, panting for breath, and with sparkling eyes, he held it up to me.
"Potatoes! potatoes! father," he gasped out.
"Yes," said Jack, "acres and acres of potatoes!"
"My dear Ernest," said I, for there was no mistaking the flower and leaf, and the light clear-green bulbous roots, "you have indeed made a discovery; with the potato we shall never starve."
"But come and look at them," said Jack, "come and feast your eyes on thousands of potatoes." ”

“ Without a moment's hesitation, Franz made his way among the bushes with his gun, closely followed by the dogs; until, through an opening in the thicket, he could see, at a distance of about forty paces, an enormous hyena, in the most wonderful state of excitement; dancing round a lamb just killed, and uttering, from time to time, the ghastly hysterical laughter which had pealed through the forest.
The beast kept running backward and forward, rising on its hind legs, and then rapidly whirling round and round, nodding its head, and going through most frantic and ludicrous antics. ”

“ Presently a beautiful heron thrust his long neck from among the reeds, to ascertain what all the noise on the lake was about. Before he could satisfy his curiosity, Fritz unhooded his eagle, and though vainly he flapped and struggled, his legs and wings were gently but firmly bound, and he had to own himself vanquished, and submit to the inspection of his delighted captors.
It was their turn to be alarmed next, for a large powerful animal came puffing, with a curious whistling sound, through the dense thicket of reeds, passing close by and sorely discomposing them by its sudden appearance. ”

“ A cry of horror arose from the spectators of this miserable tragedy.
"Shoot him, father! oh, shoot him—do save poor Grizzle!"
"My children, it is impossible!" cried I. "Our old friend is lost to us forever! I have hopes, however, that when gorged with his prey we may be able to attack the snake with some chance of success."
"But the horrible wretch is never going to swallow him all at once, father?" cried Jack. "That will be too shocking!"
"Snakes have no grinders, but only fangs, therefore they cannot chew their food, and must swallow it whole. ”

“ We again moved forward; and, crossing the palm wood, entered upon a delightful plain bounded on one side by an extensive field of waving sugar-cane, on the other by a thicket of bamboos and lovely palms, while in front stretched the shining sea, calm and noiseless.
"How beautiful!" exclaimed Jack, "let us pitch our tent here and stay here always instead of living at Falconhurst. It would be jolly."
"Very likely," replied I, "and so would be the attacks of wild beasts; imagine a great tiger lying in wait in the thicket yonder, and pouncing out on us at night. ”

“ Jack and Franz perceived them, and, with a great shout, drove them toward us. In front ran a splendid male bird, his feathers of shining black, and his great tail plume waving behind. Three females of an ashen gray color followed him. They approached us with incredible swiftness, and were within gunshot before they perceived us. Fritz had had the forethought to bind up the beak of his eagle so that, should he bring down an ostrich, he might be unable to injure it. ”

“ Guess what they were!"
"Savages?" asked Franz, timidly.
"Black bears, I bet!" cried Jack.
"Your words suggest to my mind the manner and appearance of elephants," said Ernest.
"Right you are, Professor!" exclaimed Fritz gayly, the words producing quite a sensation on the whole attentive family. "From fifteen to twenty elephants were feeding peacefully on the leafy boughs, tearing down branches with their trunks and shoving them into their mouths with one jerk, or bathing in the deep waters of the marsh for refreshment in the great heat. You cannot imagine the wild grandeur of the scene! ”

“ Suddenly Fritz exclaimed:
"I verily believe this is a second cave of salt! See how the walls glance! and how the light is reflected from the roof!"
"These cannot be salt crystals," said I; "the water which flows over them leaves no track, and tastes quite sweet. I am rather inclined to believe that we have penetrated into a cave of rock crystal!"
"Oh, how splendid! Then we have discovered a great treasure!"
"Certainly, if we could make any use of it; otherwise, in our situation, it is about as valuable as the lump of gold found by good old Robinson Crusoe." ”

“ Ernest and Jack were more disposed to gather the roots than to follow up the chase. Fritz and I alone went after the dogs, who eagerly pushed on, and by the sounds we heard had evidently attacked the boar at no great distance. Terrific barking, snarling, and grunting guided us to the scene of action, and we beheld our mastiffs one on each side of a large respectable-looking pig, holding on by the great ears, while the animal, on seeing us, appeared rather to beseech our interference than to propose to offer a desperate resistance. ”

“ I cried; "that was a masterly shot. The lion is struck to the heart; he will never stir again. Stay on board, boys. I must join my brave Fritz."
In a few moments I landed; the dogs met me with evident tokens of pleasure, but kept whining uneasily, and looking toward the deep darkness of the woods whence the lion had come.
This behavior made me cautious; and, seeing nothing of Fritz, I lingered by the boat, when suddenly a lioness bounded from the shadow of the trees, into the light diffused by the fire. ”

“ I rounded it, and beyond found a calm and pleasant bay, from whose curved and thickly wooded shores ran out a reef of rocks. From the point of this reef rose a column of smoke, steadily and clearly curling upward in the calm air. I could scarcely believe my senses, but stopped gazing at it, as though I were in a dream; then, with throbbing pulse and giddy brain, I seized my paddle, and strained every nerve to reach it.
"A few strokes seemed to carry me across the bay, and, securing my canoe, I leaped upon the rock on which the beacon was blazing, but not a sign of a human being could I see. ”

“ We then pushed through the cane-brake, and reached the clump of palms for which we had been making; as we entered it a troop of monkeys, who had been disporting themselves on the ground, sprang up, chattering and grimacing, and before we could clearly distinguish them were at the very top of the trees.
Fritz was so provoked by their impertinent gestures that he raised his gun and would have shot one of the poor beasts.
"Stay," cried I, "never take the life of any animal needlessly. A live monkey up in that tree is of more use to us than a dozen dead ones at our feet, as I will show you." ”

“ The sun beats burningly the lifelong day on this bare, rocky spot; our only shelter is this poor tent, beneath the canvas of which the heat is even more oppressive than on the open shore. Why should not I and my little boys exert ourselves as well as my husband and Fritz? ”

“ Before we could reach the spot the dogs had joined the bird of prey, and were fiercely tearing the flesh and bedabbling the splendid plumes with gore.
This sight grieved us.
"What a pity we could not capture this glorious bird alive!" exclaimed Fritz, as we took its beautiful feathers; "it must, I am sure, have stood more than six feet high, and two of us might have mounted him at once!"
"In the vast sandy deserts where nothing grows, what can flocks of these birds find to live upon?" inquired Ernest. ”

“ The little creature attempted to hide among the grass, and in trembling fear watched the tragic fate of its mother. On perceiving Turk's blood-thirsty design, Fritz had eagerly rushed to the rescue, flinging away all he was carrying, and losing his hat in his haste. All to no purpose as far as the poor mother ape was concerned, and a laughable scene ensued, for no sooner did the young monkey catch sight of him, than at one bound it was on his shoulders, and, holding fast by his thick curly hair, it firmly kept its seat in spite of all he could do to dislodge it. ”

“ I and my three elder sons each carrying a gun and game bag, while little Franz was equipped with his bow and quiver full of arrows. A most curious party we formed: Fritz, adorned with his belt of margay skin, and Jack, with his extraordinary head-dress, looked like a couple of young savages. Their mother and I walked together: she, of the whole party, being the only one unarmed, carried a jar in which to get butter from Tentholm; we were preceded by the dogs—Turk armed most effectually with his cuirass of porcupine skin, and Juno keeping at a respectful distance from so formidable a companion. ”

“ We cruised about for some time, surveying the coast with its fertile meadows, shady groves, gently swelling hills, and murmuring brooks, seeking a convenient landing place in the vicinity of the shallows where lay the oyster-beds.
This we found close to a sparkling streamlet; and, as the day was fast declining, we made speedy arrangements for burning a watch-fire; after which we partook of a hasty supper, and leaving the dogs, with Coco, the jackal, to sleep on shore, we returned on board the yacht for the night, anchoring within gunshot of the land. ”

“ We then armed ourselves, each taking a gun and a game bag; Fritz in addition sticking a pair of pistols in his belt, and I a small hatchet in mine; breakfast being over, we stowed away the remainder of the lobster and some biscuits, with a flask of water, and were ready for a start.
"Stop!" I exclaimed, "we have still left something very important undone."
"Surely not," said Fritz.
"Yes," said I, "we have not yet joined in morning prayer. We are only too ready, amid the cares and pleasures of this life, to forget the God to whom we owe all things." ”

“ Beside which, we shall feel much more at home if we can talk as people do in inhabited countries: instead of saying, for instance, 'the little island at the mouth of our bay, where we found the dead shark,' 'the large stream near our tent, across which we made the bridge,' 'that wood where we found cocoanuts, and caught the monkey,' and so on. Let us begin by naming the bay in which we landed. What shall we call it?"
"Oyster Bay," said Fritz.
"No, no!—Lobster Bay," cried Jack, "in memory of the old fellow who took a fancy to my leg!" ”

“ The boat was capsized, and Miss Montrose alone reached the shore. For a long time she lay upon the sand almost inanimate; but, reviving sufficiently to move, she at length obtained some shell-fish, and by degrees recovered her strength. From that time forth until I appeared she never set eyes upon a human being. To attract any passing vessel, and obtain assistance, however, she kept a beacon continually blazing at the end of the reef; and, with the same purpose in view, attached missives to the feet of any birds she could take alive in her snares. ”

“ We stepped aside to shelter ourselves behind the trees from the furious onset; but a shout from Fritz brought the whole herd to a sudden halt, and Jack spurred toward us.
"Which of the cattle shall we saddle for you, Jenny?" he shouted; "they're all as gentle as lambs, and as active as cats. Every one has been ridden by mother; and knows what a side-saddle means, so you can't go wrong."
To his great delight, Jenny quickly showed her appreciation of the merits of the steeds by picking out Dart, the fleetest and most spirited in the whole stud. ”

“ And it has no need to tear the flesh from the bones. It swallows them, skin, hair, and all, and digests everything in its stomach."
"It seems utterly impossible that the broad ribs, the strong legs, hoofs, and all, should go down that throat," exclaimed Fritz.
"Only see," I replied, "how the monster deals with his victim; closer and more tightly he curls his crushing folds, the bones give way, he is kneading him into a shapeless mass. He will soon begin to gorge his prey, and slowly but surely it will disappear down that distended maw!" ”